Ann Heywood, the mother of murdered British businessman Neil Heywood, has spoken out for the first time since the death of her son.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, she said she had refused all previous media requests, as she did not want to cause "any unnecessary embarrassment to the Chinese authorities", however circumstances now compelled her to speak out. She said:

"While struggling to come to terms with my own grief, my overriding concern has been for the security and well-being of Neil's two children.

Neil Heywood inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Credit: Reuters

"Given the circumstances of Neil's murder, I have been surprised and disappointed that, despite repeated discreet approaches to the Chinese authorities, there has been no substantive or practical response.

"I hope and trust that the leaders of this great nation, which Neil loved and respected, will now show decisiveness and compassion, so as to mitigate the consequences of a terrible crime and to enable my family finally to achieve some kind of closure to our ongoing nightmare.

Bo Xilai and his wife were at the centre of China's biggest scandal in decades Credit: ZY/RC

China's government has expelled disgraced senior politician Bo Xilai from the Communist Party and said it would hand him over for criminal investigation accused of multiples crimes.

Bo's wife and his former police chief have both been jailed over the scandal stemming from the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in the southwestern city of Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief.

A statement by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua said Bo has "abused his powers of office, committed serious errors and bears a major responsibility".

Bo will face charges for corruption, abuse of power, bribe taking and improper relations with a number of women.

"Bo Xilai's actions created grave repercussions, and massively damaged the reputation of the party and the state," said the statement.

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China announced that Bo Xilai has been expelled from the party Credit: Reuters

Chinese state media has announced that disgraced senior Communist party member Bo Xilai has been expelled from the party, and will face criminal charges of corruption, abuse of power, bribe taking and improper relations with a number of women.

The Chinese ex-police chief who sparked a divisive political scandal when he disclosed the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood has been jailed for 15 years.

Wang Lijuan was convicted of defection, abuse of power, and other crimes after visiting the US consulate in Chengdu in February and revealing that Mr Heywood, who was found dead in November, had been murdered and that the wife of his boss, senior politician Bo Xilai, was involved.

Gu Kailai was handed a suspended death sentence last month for poisoning Heywood with cyanide in the south-western city of Chongqing, where her husband was chief of the Communist Party.